Get the Best Sound Out of Your Church Choir
With Christmas around the corner, churches nationwide are preparing their choirs and bands’ musical performances. But choirs and bands can be challenging for musical directors to deal with, considering the number of microphones you’ll need on stage. Audio quality can seem unpredictable, and many congregations struggle to deliver clear, pleasant sound from the microphones to the speakers.
Are microphones causing your church issues, too? Microphones are an integral part of church audio visual systems, and if your church in Tulsa, OK, needs help with its wireless microphones this Christmas season, here’s our advice.
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First, Do You Need Microphones?
Some churches think that because their space is small or the choir is large, they don’t need microphones. However, without any amplification, a choir can easily become drowned out by other instruments on stage. And even in a small space, choirs will often sound disjointed when not properly mixed with proper equalization (more on that below.) Lastly, if your church partakes in any video recording or online streaming, you are definitely going to need microphones to capture voices clearly.
Use the Right Amount of Mics
‘More the merrier’ doesn’t exactly apply to wireless microphones. In fact, having too many wireless microphones on stage can cause overlapping mics and phase issues. This might sound like a ‘warping’ noise, which is a result of the same signal reaching two microphones at once.
Instead, we recommend setting up wireless microphones according to the 3:1 rule. If you place a microphone three feet away from the choir, the second mic should be nine feet away from the first. A quality choir microphone (when positioned correctly) should be able to cover up to twenty singers, so use the minimum amount of microphones possible to achieve clear, pleasant audio.
Find the Ideal Height
Choir and orchestra microphones are often positioned above singers and musicians and pointed downward. So how high should the microphones be? There’s no hardline rule for microphone height, but in general it should be mounted around two feet higher than your tallest member. This way, you capture everyone’s voices and performance, not just the front row. But remember to tell your choir to project their voices upwards—don’t sing downwards into the songbook!
Adjust EQ on Mixer
Equalization (EQ) tools on sound mixers can be helpful when used strategically. Often, using high-quality microphones means you won’t have to make too many manual adjustments. But fine-tuning EQ can elevate quieter voices while reducing some issues. For example, turning down lows can reduce handling noises and background sounds. Mid-range adjustments can make speech and singing more intelligible.
Prevent Bursts of Noise
Turning wireless mics ‘on’ and ‘off’ repeatedly during church services can cause an unpleasant burst of sound. Instead, tell speakers and choir members to use the ‘standby’ switch that mutes mics without actually powering off the wireless link. Be sure your staff, choir, and band members know which switches to use and avoid. When everyone knows how to properly handle and speak/sing into mics, you’ll achieve better sound.
Contact the Church AV Professionals
Ready for superior AV solutions? Reach out to Advanced Sound & Communication for personalized guidance and a comprehensive selection of microphone systems, speakers, visuals, and more. We’ll assess your space and provide a system that sounds great and is simple to use.